The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-01-26
THE LABOR WORLD.
Report of the New York Bureau
of Statistics and Labor.
Investigations and Inquiries Into the
Workingman's Position =.

New York State Commissioner Peck. in the
Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau Of
Statistics Of Labor" says:
The year 1886 has witnessed more pro-
found and far more extended agitation
among the members Of organized labor than
any previous year in the history OF our
country, and while such agitation in our
own State has not been characterized by the
wholly unwarranted and criminal excesses
that startled with horror the populace OF sew
eral Of the Western cities, it has neverthe-
less Eeen earnest and pronounced. With
but rare exceptions, organized labor has
cess and vigor than ever before. to agi-
tate, to strike and to boycott during the
past year, and 1856 will be remembered as
one Of the greatest importance in the battle
waged between capital and labor, the signal
failures and successes Of which will not be
lost or fail to serve as Lessons Of value to the
student Of social and economic questions.
The subject of apprenticeship is treated at
great length and in most exhaustive man
ner. Among other things the Commissioner
says, in discussing the question:
LAS very prominent feature OF the labor
question, it has been found expedient and
necessary to look into our apprenticeship
system-the means at hand of renewing and
perpetuating or labor supply: The broad
foreign skilled labor. Our supply Of native
mechanics is daily augmented by the skilled
labor of Europe, and while this foreign ele-
ment is not equal to the skilled labor which
is retained in Europe it is in the main vastly
superior to that produced in our own country.
Whether unrestricted emigration be or
be not national blessing may be disputed.
but visit to the workshops Of the State will
demonstrate the truthfulness of the statement
that the large majority Of our tradesmen
and mechanics are foreigners, Indeed, IN
many trade and industrial establishments
there is not q single American at WORK.
Nearly all positions Of trust and RESPONSE
bilty in the mechanical de- artments are in
the hands cf foreign-born worl ers, aud most
of the Toys and young men learning trades
are either foreign born OF the sons OF
foreign born workers. And the opinion
is now very generally expressed an ac-
cepted, that mos* of the labor troubles of the
last few years have been precipitated, not
by whole trades, but by sections OF them,
ahd that these sections were largely con.
trolled by foreigners, or natives who had
from association imbibed foreign ideas on
the labor question" .
The Commissioner argues in favor OF man
ual training as means OF keeping up the
supply of trained la ;or and preventing the
coming MAJ from becoming the slave OF the
machine.
Ihe CONCLUSION at WHICH Uue CoIlIulSSlouei
arrives in regard to Shorter Hours Of La
Dor" are thus summed up As predicted in
the last report of this bureau, very
general movement was made on the first,
day of May last looking to the reduction
of the hours of labor from ten to- eight per
day. The organizations. of New York and
Brooklyn seemed t, have acted more IN con
cert than those OF other cities in the States,
and were by far more successful,
having won a majority. of the cases
where demands were made. 1t is true;
that while a large percentage Of all engaged
in the movement asked for reduction OF two
hours Gay, very many of the organizations.
did it with view of compromising on nine
hours as a days work"
He next giv9s brief histories Of the leading
strikes in the State during the year notably
those in the Troy laundries, the sugar
retineries, and on the street rail-
roads. The losses by these. different
strikes, boycotts, &c, he is unable
to give in total, but fifty eight firms alone
report an aggregate of S3,UOO,OOO On the
other hand. the losses Of wages to striking
employees are represented by the sum OF So
SSS ItlI